Born at Fraserburgh, Scotland on 20 January 1873, son of William Gordon B. Melville (1843-?) and Sarah Noble (1854-?), he received training in architecture and civil engineering at Aberdeen. In 1903, he and his family moved to Winnipeg, where he set up an architectural practice in partnership with his younger brother William N. Melville, who had arrived two years earlier. They specialized in the design of municipal fire halls, being responsible for most of the ones in Winnipeg.

On 26 April 1899, he married Helen Ann Elfert (1879-1953) and they had four children: Gertrude Helen Melville (1901-1928, wife of Earl Gordon Braithwait), Williamina Gordon “Dolly” Melville (1902-1975), Barbara “Lena” Melville (1903-1946), and Alexander Burnett Melville (1905-1961). The family lived at 539 William Avenue. He was a member of the St. Andrew’s Society and the St. Andrew’s Yacht Club. He had a summer home at Dunnottar Point on Lake Winnipeg, and was an avid curler.